The Sick Boy
by tinylexie
Summary: When Draco becomes deathly ill, how far will Lucius and Narcissa be willing to go to save his life? And does Abraxas have a part to play in all this? Sequel to "The Baby Boy." Part of the Dead Babies series.
1. The Strange Discovery

**Author's Note****: This takes place seven years after the events of "The Baby Boy." Draco is seven-years-old, and the First Wizarding War has been over for six years.**

* * *

><p>Lucius came home from the Ministry one day to the sight of his seven-year-old son, Draco, sitting on his grandfather's lap.<p>

Abraxas was reading Draco a story with a false smile on his face, sounding for all the world like he was a loving, benevolent grandfather.

Lucius had to restrain himself from strangling his father.

Abraxas looked up from the book and noticed that Lucius was standing in the doorway.

"Lucius," he greeted fondly. He had to keep up appearances in front of Draco, after all.

"Father," Lucius returned through gritted teeth.

"Daddy," Draco cried out excitingly as he tried to pull himself off his grandfather's lap.

Abraxas, however, restrained Draco, keeping the young boy on his lap. There was a slight frown on the older man's face.

"You know you're not supposed to call him 'Daddy,' Draco," Abraxas lectured, even though he made sure to keep his voice from becoming too harsh. "That's a word that a filthy Muggle, Mudblood, or Blood-Traitor would use. And you're better than all of them."

"I'm sorry, Grandfather," Draco replied, "I forgot myself." He then directed his attention back to Lucius. "Father," he greeted, his voice now very formal.

"Draco," Lucius returned, holding out an arm to indicate that he wanted his son to come to him.

Draco was happy to obey. He scrambled off Abraxas's lap and made his way over to his father.

Lucius wrapped his arm around Draco and pulled the boy close to him.

"Did you have a good day, Draco?" Lucius asked.

"Yes, I did," Draco answered happily.

The frown on Abraxas's face had grown by this point.

"You need to touch your son better manners, Lucius," Abraxas said, his voice still sweet and kind. "He didn't tell me 'thank you' for reading his favorite story to him."

"I'm sorry, Grandfather," Draco spoke before Lucius could say anything. "I just was really happy to see my father. Thank you, Grandfather, for reading my favorite story to me."

"It was no problem at all," Abraxas smiled. "I love that story almost as much as you do."

Draco grinned at his grandfather.

"Why don't you go find your mother, Draco?" Lucius said.

"She's out in the garden," Draco responded.

"All right," Lucius returned. "Go tell her I'll be out there in a little while."

Draco nodded his head before leaving the room.

As soon as Draco was gone, Abraxas stood up. "I can't believe you still let him get away with calling you 'Daddy,' Lucius. You know that's not proper."

All false sweetness and kindness had completely left Abraxas's voice.

"Draco is still young," Lucius retorted. "He still has several years before he must keep up appearances at school. Let him be a child while he can. He will have more than enough time to be an adult. Besides, Draco always makes sure to call Narcissa and I 'Mother' and 'Father' whenever we have guests."

"Your wife thinks it's cute when Draco calls her 'Mommy,'" Abraxas scowled. "Perhaps you need to remind her that Draco is a Pureblood."

"I will not hear you speak another word against Narcissa," Lucius snarled. "I have no complains with how she is raising Draco, so you shouldn't either."

"Your wife is going to make that boy weak," Abraxas responded.

"I am not going to raise Draco as you raised me," Lucius hissed.

"If you truly loved your son, you would," Abraxas replied. "I made you strong, Lucius, strong enough to endure everything that has come your way."

"It's been a while since you've called me 'strong,'" Lucius said mockingly. "Perhaps we should have a party to celebrate this momentous occasion."

"Don't take that sarcastic tone with me, Lucius," Abraxas growled. "No wonder Draco is so lacking in manners. He's just like his father."

"It truly never fails to amaze me," Lucius drawled, "how in the space of one sentence from you, I go from being 'strong' to being a huge disappointment." With that, Lucius turned and left the room before his father could start complaining about something else.

Such as Draco's favorite book. According to Abraxas, that book was much too childish.

Narcissa, however, didn't seem to have a problem with the book; so Lucius didn't have a problem with it either.

Lucius just didn't a good job of reading the book to Draco. Narcissa, though, made up for that. She was always able to make Draco laugh whenever she read his favorite story to him.

That was something Abraxas had never been able to do in anything that he had ever done with Draco. He had never been able to make his grandson laugh.

* * *

><p>Lucius made his way out to the garden. It did not take him long to find his wife and son.<p>

"Hi, Lucius," Narcissa greeted. "How was your day?"

"It was fine until I saw my father," Lucius answered.

"Why is there so much tension between you and Grandfather?" Draco asked, his voice full of childlike curiosity and innocence.

Lucius looked to Narcissa for help. If he tried to explain his relationship with his father, it wouldn't end pleasant. As diplomatic as Lucius was in most situations, he just found it hard to be diplomatic when it came to Abraxas.

"Your Grandfather comes from a different age," Narcissa explained to Draco. "He has slightly different beliefs than your Father and I do. It's just a generation thing. Each one is a little different from the one before it."

"Oh," Draco replied, "I guess I understand. I think I'll go get ready for dinner. I'm getting hungry."

"We'll be there shortly," Lucius said.

Lucius and Narcissa watched as Draco disappeared from sight.

"I'm sorry that you had to catch Draco with your father," Narcissa spoke, "but Draco likes to spend time with him."

"Yes, Father is so good at acting like the _perfect_ grandfather," Lucius drawled. "One day, though, Draco will see through all his lies."

Narcissa shifted uncomfortably.

"What's wrong, Narcissa?" Lucius asked in concern.

"You're not mad at me?"

"For what?"

"For letting your father near Draco."

"Like you said," Lucius spoke, "Draco adores the old bastard. If we tried to keep them apart, Draco would only grow to resent us. Our son is still naive and innocent, and my dear father knows how to use that to his advantage."

"I always keep a close eye on them," Narcissa said, "to make sure that your father never does anything to hurt Draco. So far, he hasn't."

"Well, if that changes," Lucius replied, "let me know immediately. We have both tolerated more than enough from my father. But I will never tolerate him hurting Draco."

Narcissa nodded her head. There was, however, a worried expression on her face. The bond that Abraxas had created with Draco had always been an area of concern for her.

And she knew the same held true for Lucius. Even more than her, Lucius had suffered at his father's hands. The last thing he would ever want would be for Draco to suffer as he had.

* * *

><p>Narcissa knocked on her son's bedroom door. "Draco," she called out, "it's time for breakfast. You can't sleep the whole day away. Draco."<p>

There was no response.

"And to think I used to be glad when Draco stopped being such a restless sleeper like his father," Narcissa grumbled under her breath. "Now he sleeps too well."

Narcissa opened the door and walked into the room.

It quickly became clear that Draco was not sleeping. He was shifting uncomfortably in his bed, and he was groaning in pain.

Narcissa immediately raced over to her son's bedside.

Draco was completely soaked in sweat. Everything about him, including his bedclothes, was wet.

Out of instinct, Narcissa placed a hand on Draco's forehead. She quickly pulled her hand away. Draco was burning up.

Draco didn't seem to register his mother's presence. Instead, his only response was to groan some more.

This was beyond just a common cold that could easily and quickly be cured with one of Lucius's prepared potions. This was something much more serious.

"Dobby!" Narcissa shrieked.

There was a crack, and Dobby appeared in the room.

"Yes, Mistress."

Narcissa placed a hand on Draco's shoulder.

"Apparate us directly to St. Mungo's," Narcissa ordered. She didn't trust herself to safely Apparate with Draco in her current condition. She was much too worried.

It made no sense to her. Draco had been just fine when she and Lucius had put him to bed the night before. How could Draco have gotten this sick overnight?

It was definitely something serious; Narcissa could feel it in her bones.


	2. The Unknown Illness

"When did you first notice that something was wrong with your son?" the Healer asked Narcissa.

"Just this morning, when I went to wake him up for breakfast," Narcissa answered, somehow managing to keep her voice calm and steady.

"So, he was just fine last night?"

"Yes."

"So, there has been no recent changes in his appetite or anything like that?" the Healer pressed. "What about his sleeping habits? Has he been sleeping more lately than is usual for him?"

"There has been no changes in either his appetite or his sleeping habits," Narcissa answered. "Until this morning, he was a perfectly healthy little boy."

Narcissa looked over the Healer's shoulder, where there was a group of wizards and witches gathered around Draco's hospital bed.

Her eyes tried to find Draco, but the Healers were blocking her view.

"We're going to do some tests," the Healer said. "You should sit down for a little while."

"My husband," Narcissa spoke. "My husband needs to be informed about this."

"We will send him an owl with a letter," the Healer replied.

"Thank you."

Narcissa then used her wand to pull a chair as close to Draco's bedside as she could get without getting in any of the Healer's way.

Narcissa slowly sat down. She still couldn't catch a glimpse of her young son.

She couldn't even see if he was still conscious.

* * *

><p>Lucius was in a meeting with Fudge when an owl suddenly began pecking on Fudge's closed office window.<p>

"I wonder who that's from," Fudge remarked.

Lucius lazily pointed his wand at the window, which caused it to open.

The owl flew into the room.

To the surprise of both men, the owl went straight to Lucius, completely ignoring Fudge.

"A letter for you?" Fudge said, a questioning look on his face.

Lucius looked down at the letter and began to read its contents.

Fudge noticed that Lucius's face became more and more worried with each second that passed.

"I have to go," Lucius suddenly announced. "My son is at St. Mungo's. He's not doing well."

"Of course," Fudge replied. "We can continue this later. Go check on your son. I hope it's nothing too serious."

Lucius bolted out of the room, completely forgetting who he was and how he was supposed to present himself in public. According to the letter, Draco was seriously sick. It wasn't just something minor.

Draco needed him. Narcissa needed him.

In his haste to get to the nearest spot where he could Apparate, Lucius bumped several people out of his way, almost knocking a few of them down to the floor. His mind didn't have time to register any of their faces.

* * *

><p>"So, have you figured out yet what's wrong with Draco?" Lucius asked the Healer impatiently, struggling to keep the panic out of his voice.<p>

"Not yet," the Healer, "but there are still several more tests that we can do."

Lucius looked over at Narcissa. Her eyes were reflecting both her annoyance and her desperation. They had heard too many times, "We don't know what's going on." The Healers had never been able to tell them why Ara had been a stillborn. The Healers had never been able to tell them why Narcissa had suffered all those miscarriages after Ara.

And now the Healers couldn't tell them what was wrong with Draco.

"Well, don't just stand there," Lucius snapped at the Healer. "Go do those tests."

The Healer nodded his head before he went to rejoin his colleagues.

Lucius used his wand to pull over a chair. He placed it next to Narcissa's.

Lucius took Narcissa's hand as he sat down.

Neither said anything as they watched the group of Healers wave their wands over Draco's body, which was still hidden from their view.

"This doesn't make any sense," Lucius finally spoke. "Draco looked to be just fine last night when we were putting him to bed. How could he have gotten this sick this fast?"

"The Healers don't know that either," Narcissa replied tonelessly.

"What am I not surprised to hear that?" Lucius mumbled.

"It's probably nothing serious," Narcissa spoke. "There's no way anything can get this serious this quickly, especially with no prior warnings or signs. Draco is probably going to be just fine. I bet we'll be taking him back home before its lunchtime."

It was clear, however, that Narcissa was trying to convince herself as much as she was trying to convince Lucius.

* * *

><p>It had passed lunchtime by several hours when the Healers finally told them that they still couldn't figure out what was wrong with Draco.<p>

_Unbelievable,_ both Lucius and Narcissa thought angrily. Haven't they already lost enough because the Healers couldn't figure out what was going on?

"There are potions we can use to perform more extensive tests," the Healer who had spoken to them earlier said.

"Just find out what's wrong with our son," Lucius hissed.

The Healer nodded his head. He then gestured for the others to follow him out of the room.

As soon as they were alone, Lucius and Narcissa used their wands to pull their chairs even closer to Draco's bedside.

Draco was still soaked in sweat, but at least he was no longer moaning in pain. The Healers had apparently given him something to help him sleep.

Narcissa reached out and gently took Draco's sweaty hand. "What's going on with you, sweetie?" she asked. "None of this is making any sense to me. I know you were just fine last night, and if you weren't, I know you would have said something. You don't know how to keep a secret."

Narcissa smiled slightly at her last statement, but it did not take long for her smile to fade away.

Silence then filled the room.

"Did you even get a chance to eat breakfast?" Lucius suddenly asked. He didn't want Narcissa to also become sick.

Narcissa shook her head.

"I'll go get Dobby to get us something to eat," Lucius said, "so that we can stay here with Draco."

"Thank you," Narcissa said.

Lucius placed a gentle hand on her shoulder before leaving the room.

"Dobby," Lucius called out as soon as he had walked into the hallway.

There was a crack, which was quickly followed by Dobby's appearance.

"Yes, Master."

"Narcissa and I are going to be here for a while," Lucius said. "Go get us something to eat, quickly. Narcissa hasn't eaten anything since last night."

"Yes, Master." There was another crack, and Dobby disappeared.

Lucius then walked back into Draco's hospital room. He sat down beside Narcissa and once again took her hand.

"Dobby will be back shortly," Lucius said.

Narcissa just nodded her head.

Silence once again filled the room.


	3. Defects and Research

Abraxas was surprised when he found Lucius in the manor's library. He had not even known that Lucius was at home.

"What are you doing here?" Abraxas demanded as he watched his son pull an ancient-looking, heavy book off one of the shelves.

"Research," Lucius replied. "It's been a week, and the Healers still don't have a clue what's wrong with Draco. And his condition is only getting worse. It's time for me to take matters into my own hands."

"And you think you can find something here that the Healers don't know about?" Abraxas asked mockingly. "I know you spent some time here after the stillborn and after several of the miscarriages, but I also know you didn't find any useful. What makes you think you're going to find something useful this time?"

"Draco's case is different from Narcissa's," Lucius responded, "and with Narcissa, I was often busy doing work for the Dark Lord. But since the Dark Lord is currently not around, I now have more time to spend here. Besides, there are books here with information that can't be found anywhere else in this world. Isn't that what you have always claimed?"

"One would almost think that you're glad that the Dark Lord is not here at the moment," Abraxas hissed angrily. "I thought you believed in the Pureblood cause."

"I still do," Lucius snapped, "but I also believe in family."

"Don't act like you're the only one who cares about doing what is right for this family," Abraxas snarled. "Everything I have ever done, I have done it for the sake of this family."

"Thank you so much, Father," Lucius drawled sarcastically, "for finally giving me something to laugh about."

"You should not mock me, Lucius," Abraxas returned. "I am the one who has kept this family strong and perfect."

"What is the point of all this?" Lucius sighed impatiently. "I have lots of work to do here, and I don't have time for you."

"You're doing nothing but wasting your time," Abraxas replied. "I don't even know why you're bothering."

"Weren't you the same person who said just a moment ago that this family means everything to you?" Lucius responded angrily. "Are you actually trying to suggest that I shouldn't be trying my best to save Draco's life? He's your grandson and my heir, in case you have forgotten. He is the one who will continue our family line after me."

"Draco has been sick often since he was born," Abraxas said. "Clearly, he's weak, too weak to be a worthy Malfoy heir. Any children that he ever creates will carry that same weakness."

Lucius looked at his father in disbelief, a murderous expression on his face.

"It's not _your_ fault, Lucius," Abraxas said soothingly. "Look at your wife's family. How many Blood-Traitors do they have? Way too many to be acceptable. It's clear that there's something wrong with that family, and it's also clear that your wife passed that defect to Draco. It really is time for you to choose another wife, preferably one that comes from a _proper_ Pureblood family with no mistakes or defects."

Lucius pulled out his wand and cast a curse at his father.

Abraxas managed to dodge most of the curse, but a part of him caught him in the leg. He cried out in pain. The curse had cut into his leg, and it was not just a shallow cut.

"I don't have time to waste on you," Lucius growled dangerously. "Now leave before I decide to just kill you and be done with it."

Abraxas glared at his son, but he turned and limped out of the room, the blood noticeably running down his leg from the spot where Lucius's curse had struck him.

After his father had disappeared from sight, Lucius took several deep breaths to calm himself down. He needed to focus on finding something that could help him to save Draco's life. He didn't need to be thinking about how much he wanted to strangle his father.

* * *

><p>It was hard, tedious work. Even though Lucius had spent a lot of time in this library both as a child and as an adult, he knew that he not touched even a quarter of what this room had to offer. A lifetime was not enough to go through every single book that was in Malfoy Library.<p>

There were also numerous books in runes and other languages (and some of those languages were ancient languages that had long ago died out).

Lucius was suddenly grateful that his father had insisted that he study as many different runes and languages as possible. It was one of the few things that would ever cause Lucius to feel any sort of gratitude towards his father.

Then again, it was essential that a Malfoy was well-educated. It was good for appearances. It was a good way of showing how a proper Pureblood was superior to everyone else.

* * *

><p>Lucius flipped through a book with extremely difficult runes to translate. It was runes from one of those ancient, dead languages.<p>

All the runes had multiple meanings, and you had to translate several of them (with all their possible meanings) before you could even begin to figure out what the runes were supposed to mean in the particular context that they were being presented in.

Lucius spent about an hour translating several pages before he determined that the book would most likely be of no use to him, at least not when it came to finding out what was wrong with Draco and how to cure it.

But if Lucius ever needed to know how to break into an ancient tomb, the book would be most useful to him.

Lucius placed the book back in its proper place. Right now, he most definitely didn't need to know how to break into an ancient tomb.

Lucius then rubbed his forehead. He was starting to develop a headache. His Headache-Prevention Potion was clearly starting to wear off.

Fortunately, though, he had brought several bottles of the potion with him.

Lucius took another dose of the potion. He then took a moment to stretch out his limbs a bit before getting back to work.

* * *

><p>After several more hours, Lucius finally came across a very promising book. As an added bonus, it was written in modern English, so he wouldn't have to waste any time on translating it.<p>

The book was all about rare illnesses and their causes. Lucius knew about many illnesses, but he didn't recognize any of the ones presented in this particular book; and he had a feeling that the Healers at St. Mungo's had probably not heard about any of them either.

Many of the mentioned illness, however, were brought on by some form of Dark Magic. Lucius frowned to himself. It was true that he had many artifacts in the manor that were filled with Dark Magic, but it was also true that he had placed them all in a place where Draco could never possibly get a hold on them. Lucius had also made sure to do the same with all his poisons and potentially dangerous potions.

It wasn't likely, therefore, that Draco had been exposed to any kind of Dark Magic. That meant Draco most likely didn't have any of the illnesses that were presented in the book.

But something told Lucius to keep on reading and that he was finally on the right track. So, he kept on reading.

* * *

><p>Lucius finally came across a particular illness that perfectly explained everything that was going on with his son. The illness always affected its victims with no warning signs beforehand, just like it had done with Draco. And all the symptoms of this particular illness matched every symptom that Draco was suffering.<p>

It all fitted perfectly. Then, Lucius saw what caused this particular illness.

A very specific poison that apparently was very rare. In fact, it was so rare that Lucius had never heard of it before, and there weren't many poisons he didn't at least have some knowledge of.

It didn't make sense. How could Draco have been exposed to this poison?

Unless Draco had accidentally drank it during one of the times he had spent with Abraxas.

But no, that couldn't be the case. Lucius made sure that his father kept all his poisons safely out of Draco's reach. Lucius still had vivid memories of the few times his father had forced him to swallow one of his poisons as punishment. Granted, all those poisons had been meant to only cause great discomfort but not death, but there was still no way Lucius was going to allow Draco near any type of poison until he was mature enough to start studying them.

Then, how was Draco exposed to this poison? It didn't make any sense. Perhaps this was not the illness that Draco.

But everything else fitted so perfectly.

Lucius looked down at the book again, and he read that the only way to detect this particular poison in a victim was to look at that person's blood.

But poisons, especially if it had been brewed by someone who knew what they were doing, were hard to detect in blood. Lucius had heard of the theory for doing this, but he didn't really know how to actually do it.

Lucius looked down at the book again. He saw instructions on how to brew the poison and also on how to brew its antidote.

Lucius looked at all the ingredient listed. He already had some of them in the manor, but he would need to buy most of them.

Fortunately, though, Lucius knew there was one place he could go to both buy all the necessary ingredients in order to brew the antidote and also to find more information on how to find a poison in a person's blood. He didn't want to give Draco any antidotes until he was absolutely sure that this was indeed the illness that was inflicting his son.

Lucius was going to need to take a trip to Knockturn Alley.

But first, he needed to go to St. Mungo's, so that he could get a sample of Draco's blood for testing.

Even though it was necessary, he still wasn't looking forward to it.

But it had to be done.


	4. Blood Investigation

**Author's Note: I got the idea of how Lucius pays for his more expensive purchases from another writer. Unfortunately, I can't remember the name of the author or the title of the story. But to whoever it was that wrote that story, thank you so much for that creative idea.**

* * *

><p>Lucius entered Ethelbert's Bookshop and immediately approached the counter, where he rang a bell.<p>

As Lucius waited, he looked around. Unlike Flourish and Blotts, this bookshop was not filled with shelves of books. In fact, there were no books in sight, as this bookshop prided itself on having those rare books that could not be found anywhere else. A huge part of Malfoy Library's collection, in fact, had come from this bookshop.

This, however, was not a bookshop for common books. That was what Flourish and Blotts was for.

In order to prevent nosy Ministry officials and Aurors from being able to look around to see what could be found here, the owner, Nathan Ethelbert, kept all the books behind the counter in a place that only he knew about. Such people did not come into the shop as much as they did during the First Wizarding War, but Nathan had never been one to take any chances.

Even though wizards and witches with shops in Knockturn Alley were able to get away with quite a bit, there were still some things that could possibly land them in Azkaban. Some of the books that Nathan had in his collection were definitely "questionable" and "dangerous" enough to make Azkaban a real possibility for him.

Another bonus of Nathan keeping his books hidden was that there were no records of them, so it was particularly impossible for anyone to track who had bought what.

When it came to discreet businessmen, there were few more discreet than Nathan Ethelbert. That was one of the reasons why Lucius liked doing business with him.

* * *

><p>Lucius did not have to wait for long.<p>

"Lucius," Nathan greeted respectfully, "it's been a while. Welcome. What can I do for you today?"

"I need to know how to detect poisons in a person's blood," Lucius answered in a matter-of-fact voice. He had to stay in business mode. He couldn't afford to fall apart. Draco needed him to stay strong and focused.

Lucius was just glad that he knew how to enter business mode and how to exit personal mode in less than a second. It was one of the few things he would ever fully appreciate learning from his father.

"Of course," Nathan responded to Lucius's request. "Unfortunately, I only know parts of the theory, but I do believe I have a book on it. Give me a moment to see what I have."

Lucius nodded his head as he watched Nathan disappear from sight.

Nathan never asked any questions. If he had a book on whatever you wanted or he if knew how to obtain such a book, he got you that book. Proper Purebloods like him did not involve themselves in other proper Purebloods' business. That was another reason why Lucius liked doing business with him.

* * *

><p>Several minutes passed until Nathan returned. He was carrying an ancient-looking, heavy book.<p>

"I believe Chapter 8 will be of the most interest to you," Nathan said as he placed the book on the counter.

"Thank you," Lucius responded. "How much?"

Nathan named an amount as he pulled out a sheet of parchment from under the counter.

Nathan waved his wand over the parchment, and several blank lines suddenly appeared on it.

Lucius took the quill that Nathan offered him. He wrote in the book's cost. He then signed his name.

Lucius then handed the quill back to Nathan, who added his signature to the document.

On no part of the document was there any mention of the particular purchase that Lucius had made. But that wouldn't matter to the goblins at Gringotts. All that mattered to them was the amount of money that needed to be transferred.

Lucius was very grateful that goblins didn't concern themselves with the business of wizards and witches. Goblins had better things to do with their time then to be nosy.

Nathan then waved his wand over to document, and everything completely disappeared.

Most wizards and witches had no idea of how proper Purebloods operated when making most of their purchases, especially those purchases they wanted to keep discreet.

Lucius carried money on him, of course, but it was never as much as most people probably thought. No, Lucius carried just enough to remind people that he had more money than they did.

Unfortunately, it was not uncommon for Purebloods to be mugged (especially if they were doing their shopping at night, which was something Lucius had often done to avoid detection), so Purebloods made a point of never carrying much money on them.

Lucius watched as Nathan waved his wand over the document. Immediately, everything disappeared.

Nathan would later take this parchment to Gringotts, and the goblins would transfer the appropriate amount from Lucius's account to Nathan's.

And the amount on the form could not be changed. The quill that had been used had been charmed to prevent that.

The quill had also been charmed to know whether or not the signature truly matched the identity of the wizard or witch using it. The quill also couldn't be fooled by Polyjuice Potion or by any other method of disguise.

Nathan waved his wand over the book's cover. The book's title changed to something that sounded common and innocent.

Lucius knew how this particular charm worked. The words inside the book would be changed as well.

"Same password," Lucius said.

Nathan nodded his head in confirmation.

Lucius had done enough business with Nathan in the past to know what series of words he would need to speak in order to get the book to once again reveal its true content.

Lucius adjusted the book in his arms. In his cloak there was a bag of potion ingredients that he had already purchased for Draco's antidote.

He now had everything he needed. It was time to return to the manor.

* * *

><p>Narcissa was gently stroking Draco's hand as she held it.<p>

Narcissa took a moment to shift in her chair. She thought about Lucius's earlier visit. He had come to get a sample of Draco's blood, so that he could test it for something. He had not said what he was testing for, but he had said that it was important and that he would explain everything to her later. Time was crucial, so Narcissa could understand Lucius keeping it short.

The memory of Lucius taking a sample of her son's blood, though, still made her wince, even though Lucius had made the cut on Draco's arm as shallow as possible.

But Lucius had needed more than just a few drops of Draco's blood in order to perform an effective test, so the cut had been necessary.

Narcissa had not relaxed until Lucius had healed Draco's cut. Afterwards, it had looked like Draco had not ever been cut.

And Narcissa had felt even more relaxed when she had seen the hopeful expression on her husband's face as he had looked at the phial containing Draco's blood. His research was going well, and right now that was the most important thing to her.

"Your father is making a lot of progress," Narcissa spoke to her unconscious son. "You're going to get better real soon, and then we'll be able to return home. I know you probably miss riding on that broomstick of yours. I'm actually looking forward to watching you perform some of those tricks of yours, and you know how much those tricks scare me."

Narcissa gave her son a sad smile, even though she knew he couldn't see it.

"Mum," Draco suddenly spoke.

Narcissa looked at her son and saw that his eyes were open and that he was looking at her.

"Hi, Draco," Narcissa smiled weakly.

Draco looked at his mother for several moments, but he didn't say anything further.

A few moments later, his eyes closed and he once again faded into unconsciousness.

Draco no longer needed any potions to help him with sleeping. All he did lately was sleep. He wasn't conscious often, and whenever he was conscious, it was always just for a few seconds.

Narcissa had to struggle not to sob. She didn't want Draco to hear her crying. She had to be strong for him.

Her only solace was that Draco was barely in any pain, but that was only a small comfort to her.

As much as Narcissa would have liked to, there was no denying it. Her precious little son, her and Lucius's only child, was slowly dying.

"Lucius, please hurry," she whispered desperately.

Narcissa couldn't bear the thought of losing another child, and she knew that Lucius felt the same way.

At least Lucius's letter had sounded encouraging. Narcissa just hoped that everything would continue to go well for her husband in his research.

* * *

><p>It was hard, tedious work. Chapter 8 was indeed what Lucius was looking for, but it was a difficult read. The theory behind detecting poison in a person's blood was very complicated, and it seemed that doing the actual application of the theory would be even more complicated.<p>

Lucius wished now that he had spent more time in the past studying blood. There was definitely a lot to it.

Unfortunately, though, the study of blood (even among Purebloods) was no longer as appreciated as it had used to be.

At least that was what Abraxas always said. He was always complaining about how they just didn't make Purebloods like they used to.

Lucius knew that his father could be of great help to him in his research.

But Lucius also knew that Abraxas could care less whether or not Draco died.

Abraxas had made that very clear, as clear as the cut that Lucius had given him.

Having anything to do with Abraxas would only be a waste of Lucius's time.

And Lucius couldn't afford to waste any time.

Lucius took a moment to take another dose of Headache-Prevention Potion before getting back to work.

It was going to be a long night.

Lucius just hoped that he would soon have more good news to report to Narcissa.

* * *

><p><span><strong>Author's Note<strong>**: I hope the beginning of this wasn't too boring, but I really wanted to explore how Purebloods conduct their business and their purchases in my headcanon. The reference to Purebloods sometimes being mugged was also a reference to another fic I have written, "Information Comes At A Price."**


	5. A Loss of Hope

**Author's Note****: I really appreciate all the reviews and favorites that I have received so far. I hope you all continue to enjoy this story, and I hope that the end of this chapter manages to take some of you by surprise.**

* * *

><p>Narcissa was walking up and down the hallway outside her son's hospital room. There were currently several Healers in the room, giving Draco potions to keep him from feeling any pain.<p>

And Narcissa had needed a moment to breath. She didn't want to leave Draco's side, but she barely had any strength left. Just sitting there and slowly watching her precious son die had drained her of most of her energy.

She needed to move around a bit. She needed some fresh air.

But she didn't feel right leaving St. Mungo's. Just stepping outside Draco's hospital room made her feel guilty.

But she really needed a little break, a little breather.

When was Lucius going to return? When was she going to hear more news from him? Was he still making progress? Had the sample of blood that he had taken from Draco given him the answers that he had been seeking?

Narcissa really felt torn. She wanted to be there for Draco, so that he would know that he wasn't alone. But she also wanted to be there for Lucius, helping him with his research.

But Lucius was a lot more learned in illnesses than she was, and Lucius had agreed with her that someone should stay with Draco.

Besides, Lucius was a man of action. He always had been. He would not have been able to just sit there and do nothing.

And even more than she did, Lucius hated feeling helpless. And Narcissa hated feeling helpless.

"Lucius is going to find out what's wrong with Draco," Narcissa muttered to herself, "and then he's going to find out how to cure him. Draco is going to be just fine."

Narcissa, however, was finding it harder and harder to convince herself.

She knew she wasn't being fair. She knew that Lucius was intelligent and well-learned. She knew that Lucius was trying his best.

But what if his best wasn't enough?

No, that wasn't fair to her husband.

Narcissa knew that Lucius would blame himself if Draco died.

She wouldn't blame him, though. Not even for a moment. She knew that Lucius was doing his best.

But that wouldn't stop him from blaming himself if Draco died.

"That's not going to happen," Narcissa spoke to herself. "Draco isn't going to die."

* * *

><p>Narcissa finally looked up from her pacing. To both her surprise and her disgust, she saw that Abraxas was walking towards her.<p>

"So, you finally decided to come check on your grandson," Narcissa hissed at her father-in-law.

"The Healers have been keeping me up-to-date on Draco's condition," Abraxas responded. "They say that there's not much more they can do for him."

"Lucius is looking into it," Narcissa returned. "Lucius is going to find a way to help Draco get better."

"Oh, yes, Lucius has been very busy with his research," Abraxas smiled unpleasantly. "He's even locked the door to the library at the manor, so that I can't enter."

"I wonder why he would do something like that," Narcissa drawled sarcastically.

"I was worried about him," Abraxas continued, acting as if he had not heard Narcissa (even though there had been a brief flash of anger in his eyes at his daughter-in-law's sarcastic statement), "so I asked the house-elves if he had been getting any food or rest. And they told me that he had not once requested any food. I told them to check on him, and he snapped at them to go away. Brenan did tell me, though, that it looked like Lucius had not slept in several days, even though he did use some charms to hide his exhaustion when he went out for a little while in order to get some more materials for his research. According to Brenan, Lucius had to use some very powerful and strong charms."

Narcissa visibly flinched at Abraxas's words, and her reaction clearly pleased him.

"Lucius is truly a devoted husband and father," Abraxas sneered. "But if he keeps on going on like this, he's going to make himself sick. But, of course, you don't care about that. All that matters to you is that your weak, pathetic son lives."

"How dare you," Narcissa snarled. "How dare you say something like that. I have always cared about Lucius's health and well-being, and I most definitely have always cared more about him than you ever have."

"I see how you have spoiled your son," Abraxas returned," and it's clear to me that Lucius has taken second-place to Draco."

"That's not true," Narcissa breathed angrily. "Lucius is _everything_ to me."

"Yet here you are with your son," Abraxas replied, "instead of making sure that your husband is taking care of himself. Have you even bothered once to check on him?"

"Lucius told me to stay with Draco," Narcissa hissed. "He didn't want Draco to be alone. And he told me to not send him any letters or to make any other contact with him unless it is an absolute emergency, so that he won't be distracted from his work. And I did tell him to make sure that he ate and got some rest. So, don't you dare try to suggest that Lucius means nothing to me."

Abraxas shrugged his shoulders. "It doesn't really matter to me whether or not you really care more about Draco than you do Lucius," he said. "Your son will be dead soon anyways." Abraxas sighed in mock regret. "Draco has always been a disappointment, not worthy of the name Malfoy. He's always been too much like _you_. Your family line just has too many _defects_ in it, and those defects have finally fully caught up with poor Draco."

"Why don't you go inside Draco's room and tell him all these things?" Narcissa snarled. "Why don't you go show him what a _loving_ grandfather he really has?"

"Draco's opinion of me no longer matters," Abraxas smiled. "You should be more concerned about the fact that soon Lucius's only heir will be dead, and that he's going to need another one."

"The Healers have seen to it that I can't ever get pregnant again," Narcissa breathed, tears starting to form in her eyes. "They told me that another pregnancy would be too risky to both me and the baby."

"I know," Abraxas smirked.

"You bastard!" Narcissa cried angrily, the tears in her eyes growing. "Just go already! Go!"

"I will not have my family line dying with Lucius," Abraxas spoke condescendingly. "Are you going to do the right thing for once in your life and let him remarry? Are you finally going to let him marry a woman who can actually give him a worthy heir?"

Narcissa remembered the last time she had tried to break her marriage with Lucius because of this. It had been after all the miscarriages, before Draco. She had wanted Lucius to remarry, so that he could finally have the heir that she had been unable to give him. She had wanted to help Lucius to do his duty.

But Narcissa also remembered the tears that had formed in Lucius's eyes when he had saw her attempting to leave. He had not cried, but he had been closed to doing so.

And Lucius Malfoy was not the type of man to ever cry about anything in his life.

And Lucius had made it very clear to Narcissa that day that she meant more to him than anything else, including doing his duty as a proper Pureblood.

"I suppose I could always be the one who remarries," Abraxas drawled casually, "but how would that look for Lucius? He would be such a disappointment if he wasn't able to create a proper heir. He would lose all respect."

"Leave," Narcissa hissed through her teeth, the tears now falling down her face. "Just leave already, you bastard."

Abraxas chuckled. He then gave Narcissa a mock bow. "As you wish," he said.

Abraxas then turned and left.

Narcissa, meanwhile, just stood there, struggling hard not to collapse right there on the floor.

* * *

><p>Lucius was finally ready to begin his testing. He slowly and carefully added the sample of Draco's blood to the complicated potion he had made. Lucius then used his wand to stir the blood with the potion.<p>

"You've seen blood plenty of times in your life," Lucius muttered to himself as he stirred. "Just don't think of it as being Draco's blood."

It was hard to do that, however.

* * *

><p>As soon as the potion and the blood were properly mixed together, Lucius waved his wand over the mixture and performed the proper nonverbal incantations.<p>

As soon as Lucius was done with all the incantations, he looked at the potion. If Draco did indeed have the illness that Lucius suspected he had, the potion should now be a black color.

"No," Lucius whispered to himself in disbelief and desperation.

The potion was red, as red as Draco's blood.

That meant that Draco didn't have that illness after all.

Which meant that Lucius didn't know what was wrong with his son.

Which meant that Lucius couldn't cure his son.

Lucius had failed his son.

Draco was going to die.

* * *

><p><span><strong>Author's Note<strong>**: Does this mean that Abraxas did not poison Draco after all? Or could Abraxas still be indirectly involved?**


	6. All the Answers

Grief. Anger. Disbelief. Confusion. Lucius was feeling all those emotions.

He felt the tears forming in his eye, but he didn't cry. He couldn't. He had to keep it together.

Lucius released a loud scream of both rage and desperation. He pounded his fists on the table where he had been working. In his anger, he didn't feel the pain.

He looked at the potion. The blood-red potion. The potion that looked like Draco's blood. The potion that was mocking him.

Lucius flipped over the table. Everything that had been on the table fell onto the floor, all the books and the cauldron containing the potion.

He watched the blood as it flowed across the floor.

It could have been Draco's blood. It looked so much like Draco's blood.

Draco.

What was he doing? He needed that potion. He needed that sample of Draco's blood.

Lucius took several deep breaths.

_Calm down,_ he told himself. _Get yourself back together. None of this is helping Draco._

Lucius upturned the cauldron. He then pulled out his wand and used it to transfer the potion from the floor to back into the cauldron.

Still shaking slightly, Lucius used his wand to put the table back up. Then, he used his wand to place all the books back on the table. Finally, he placed the cauldron back on the table.

It didn't make any sense. All the symptoms had fit. It had to be the illness that Draco had. It just had to be.

And Lucius was sure that he had done everything right. He had read all the directions clearly several times before he had begun, and he had read the directions step-by-step several times as he had been preparing the potion.

Then, why wasn't the potion black like it was supposed to be?

Lucius looked down at the rare illness book, the book that contained the information on the illness he had been so sure that Draco had.

There it was. The potion should be black in color. There were not any other possible colors mentioned.

But did that necessarily mean it wasn't possible for the potion to be another color? This book, after all, just gave the basics on all the illnesses.

Perhaps somewhere there was a book that would give more information on this illness or on the particular poison that was its cause.

Perhaps it was possible for the potion to turn blood-red in certain special circumstances.

Lucius knew that he was probably just deluding himself, but he couldn't give up hope. He couldn't just stand there and do nothing. He couldn't just stand there and let Draco die.

He had failed Ara. He had failed all the babies that had come after her.

But he wouldn't fail Draco. He couldn't fail Draco.

He couldn't lose another child, especially a child that he had been raising with Narcissa for seven years.

Narcissa. What was he going to tell her? He couldn't tell her, "I'm sorry, but I can't cure Draco. Our son is going to die, and there's nothing I can do about it."

No, he had to find the answer. He couldn't give up.

Lucius walked over to the shelf where he had found the book on the rare illnesses. His eyes scanned the area. There were no other books that could be of any use to him.

Lucius began to walk over to the section in the library where he knew there was all the books on poisons. But he stopped mid-way. He had read all those books in that section, and he had never came across the poison that had caused Draco's illness. He would have remembered if he had.

But there was another place where he could go for more information, a place where he had never looked before.

His father had a bookshelf full of books in his bedroom, books that his father had never allowed him to look at or to read.

Lucius had not often been in his father's bedroom. He preferred to avoid his father's sections of the manor as much as possible.

But Lucius had learned about poisons from his father, and he doubted that Abraxas had shared all his knowledge with him. A wise teacher, after all, never shared all his knowledge with his student.

There had to be books about poisons in Abraxas's bedroom that Lucius had never before seen, much less read.

It was decided. Lucius was going to his father's bedroom to look at his private collection of books.

He just hoped that Abraxas was elsewhere. There was no way he could deal with his father in his current mood.

"Dobby," Lucius called out.

There was a crack, which was followed by Dobby's appearance.

"Yes, Master," Dobby spoke. "Can Dobby get you something to eat or drink?"

"No, not right now," Lucius replied. "I just need to know where my father is at."

"Dobby knows that he left earlier to go to St. Mungo's, but Dobby does not know if he has yet returned."

"He went to St. Mungo's?" Lucius snarled in anger. If that old bastard had done anything to upset Narcissa, he would suffer the consequences.

Dobby cowered and took several steps backwards, making sure to keep himself out of Lucius's cane reach. He had learned early on in his service to the Malfoy family that it was best to stay out of his master's reach whenever he was upset with his father over something.

"Find out if he's still there," Lucius snapped at Dobby. "And if he isn't, find out where he's at."

"Yes, Master." There was a crack, and Dobby disappeared.

Lucius sat down and rubbed his forehead. He was going to need to brew a stronger Headache-Prevention Potion. They weren't lasting long enough anymore. His body was quickly becoming immune to the potion's effects.

But there was no time for that right now. It took a couple of hours to brew a Headache-Prevention Potion, and Lucius didn't have that time to waste. He was just going to have to try to ignore his pounding head.

Hopefully Dobby wouldn't take too long to return. Lucius didn't want his father to be at St. Mungo's with Narcissa and Draco, but he also didn't want his father to be nearby.

Lucius didn't need his father trying to get into his business. Abraxas would probably try to stop him from looking at his private collection of books.

* * *

><p>There was a crack, and Dobby appeared.<p>

Lucius stood up and waited for Dobby's report, which the house-elf gave quickly.

"Master Abraxas is back at the manor," Dobby spoke. "He's in his bedroom."

"I need him out of that room," Lucius hissed. "I don't care what you do, but get him out of there. I need him away from that area."

"For how long, Master?"

"For as long as you can. Report back to me as soon as he's out his room. And also find out where Brenan is at."

The last thing that Lucius needed was for Brenan whining and complaining to Abraxas that his pathetic excuse of a son was snooping around in his room.

"Yes, Master." There was a crack, and Dobby disappeared.

Lucius didn't bother with sitting back down. He was too tense, too close to having another emotional breakdown.

And he couldn't afford that.

Draco couldn't afford that.

* * *

><p>There was a crack, which was followed by Dobby's reappearance.<p>

"Master Abraxas is in the kitchen," Dobby spoke quickly. "Dobby burned Master Abraxas's lunch. Brenan is now cooking him something. Dobby must now go punish himself."

"You can skip the punishment for just this one time, Dobby," Lucius responded.

Dobby looked up at Lucius in shock.

"For once," Lucius said, "you have done well. Now go and keep an eye on both my father and Brenan. Let me know immediately if either of them starts to make their way to my father's bedroom."

"Yes, Master." There was a crack, and Dobby disappeared.

It was time to get to work.

Lucius was barely feeling that headache now.

* * *

><p>Lucius opened up his father's bedroom door and stepped inside. He then made his way over to his father's bookshelf and began to look at the various titles on the spines.<p>

Some of the titles were in languages beside modern English, but none of them were in a language that Lucius didn't understand.

Yes, success. There were several books about poisons.

Lucius pulled the first book off the shelf and began to flip through its pages. Nothing useful.

Lucius began to look through the next book. Also nothing useful.

The frustration was starting to build, but Lucius willed himself to remain calm. One of his father's books had to have information on the poison.

Lucius began to look through the fourth book. There it was, the poison that he needed more information on.

Lucius sat down in a nearby chair and began to read.

Unlike the rare illness book, this book mentioned all the uses for this particular poison.

_This poison can be used to induce miscarriages._

Lucius felt as if the breath had been knocked out of his lungs. He could not help but think about Ara and all the miscarriages that had followed her.

This was a rare, complicated poison. There weren't many who knew about it. They were probably even less who knew how to brew it.

Excellent poisoners were even rarer than excellent Potioneers.

And the book on how to brew this poison was in his father's bedroom.

The chances of Narcissa having been given this poison elsewhere was rare, especially considering that there were no other Pureblood women that Lucius knew of that had been having any problems with delivering healthy, living babies.

Lucius knew that his father was a twisted bastard, but would actually go so far as to murder his own grandchildren?

Lucius remembered how his father had made it clear that he didn't want Narcissa having a girl when she had been pregnant with Ara. Had Abraxas really went so far as to poison Narcissa just to keep her from having a girl?

Yes, someone like Abraxas would do something like that. Of course, it would be for the greater good because it would have been such a shame and a disappointment if Lucius's first child and heir had been a girl instead of a boy. Abraxas saw all women, including Pureblood women, as being weak. Women just existed to produce an heir.

And if Narcissa had ever given Lucius a girl, that girl would have lost the Malfoy name as soon as she had gotten married. She would have ended up taking her husband's last name. Abraxas most definitely would not have wanted that to happen.

Lucius should have seen it earlier.

But the Pureblood population had been constantly decreasing, and Lucius had thought that preserving the Pureblood population would have been the most important thing to Abraxas. After all, preserving the Pureblood population was extremely important to Lucius.

But it was now clear that Lucius had thought wrong this whole time.

He should have seen it earlier.

Narcissa could have died because of Abraxas's actions. And now Draco could potentially be the next one who would end up paying the price for what Abraxas had done.

Lucius should have seen it earlier. He could have lost Narcissa. And now he could potentially lose Draco.

All because of his father. All because he had not seen it in time.

* * *

><p>Lucius forced himself to continue to read. There it was, the illness that Draco had. The illness was a potential side effect of the poison that had been given to Narcissa to cause the miscarriages.<p>

Abraxas may not had poisoned Draco directly, but Draco definitely had gotten some of the side effects of the poison while he had been in Narcissa's womb.

Lucius continued to read. If the victim had gotten this illness indirectly (like Draco had), then the potion used to test for it would turn blood-red.

These were all the answers that Lucius had been looking for. The answer to why Ara had been a stillborn. The answer to why Narcissa had suffered all those miscarriages afterwards. The answer to why Draco was now sick.

It was all because of his father. Why hadn't he seen it earlier?

* * *

><p>Almost in a trancelike state, Lucius made his way out of his father's bedroom, still holding the open book. He forgot to close the door behind him.<p>

His father was in the kitchen. His father who had killed so many of his babies. His father who was now responsible for Draco being sick.

Draco.

Lucius needed to brew Draco's cure before it was too late.

He could deal with his father later, but first he had to make sure that Draco was going to be all right.

He could not lose Draco like he had lost Ara and all the others.

He couldn't let it be too late to save Draco.

* * *

><p>Lucius walked back into his father's bedroom. He closed the book and placed it back in its proper place. He then once again left the room, this time making sure to close the door behind him.<p>

He didn't want his father to suspect a thing until it was too late.

Just like his father had done to Narcissa.

Narcissa.

How was he going to explain this to her?

How was he going to explain to her that she had suffered so much because of his father?

How was he going to explain to her that he had failed to see what his father had been doing for all these years?

How was he going to explain to her that he had failed Ara and all their other children? How was he going to explain to her that he had almost failed Draco as well?

Lucius could only hope that it wasn't too late to save Draco.

* * *

><p>Struggling to remain calm, Lucius Apparated back into Malfoy Library. He had a cure to brew.<p> 


	7. The Dark Cure

It seemed as if Draco's breathing was becoming more and more labored with each passing second.

Narcissa knew that she was probably being slightly overdramatic, but there was also no denying that her son's condition was definitely worsening.

"It's okay, Draco," Narcissa said as soothingly as possible (even though she was struggling not to cry) as she held her son's hand. "You're going to be okay. But you got to keep on fighting. You can't give up now. You got to keep holding on, sweetie. Your father will be here soon, and he's going to make you better. Lucius, where are you?"

Draco gasped in pain.

His eyes opened for a second, but they then quickly closed again.

Narcissa was about ready to scream for the Healers when the door suddenly banged open.

Narcissa watched as Lucius came racing into the room, not even bothering to close the door behind him.

"Lucius," Narcissa cried.

Lucius did not look at Narcissa. His eyes were completely focused on Draco.

"Lucius," Narcissa cried again, this time with more desperation in her voice. Did he have good news to report?

His face unreadable, Lucius pulled out a bottle filled with a liquid.

"Lucius," Narcissa cried for a third time, but this time with huge relief in her voice.

"I had to use Dark Magic to brew this," Lucius said, not looking at his wife, "but I promise it won't hurt Draco. You know I would never expose Draco to Dark Magic in this way, Narcissa, unless it was absolutely necessary."

"I know," Narcissa replied. "But Lucius, what's going on? What exactly is wrong with Draco? Why was Dark Magic the only solution? Because I truly _do _know that you would not have resorted to using it unless there was no other way to save Draco's life."

"Hold Draco's mouth open for me," Lucius responded, still not looking at Narcissa. "Let's get our son better first, and then I'll explain everything to you."

Narcissa did as her husband had ordered.

His hands shaking slightly, Lucius poured the liquid into Draco's open mouth.

Lucius then pulled out his wand and waved it over his son's body in a complicated pattern. He spoke no words, which meant that whatever he was doing was nonverbal.

After about a minute, Lucius finally lowered his wand.

"He's going to need several more doses," Lucius spoke as he put up his wand, keeping his eyes firmly on his son, "but I wanted to go ahead and bring what I had already brewed before it was too late. I better return to the manor now, so that I can make some more."

Lucius still did not look at his wife as he turned to leave the room.

Narcissa grabbed for Lucius's hand.

"Lucius, tell me what's going on," she demanded.

"Draco needs more doses," Lucius returned, still not looking at her.

At that moment, a Healer, a witch, walked into the room.

"Mr. Malfoy?" the witch said in surprise.

"Check on my son," Lucius ordered. "See how he's doing right now."

"Of course." The witch walked over to Draco's bedside. She pulled out her wand and waved it over the boy's unconscious body.

The witch's eyes widened in surprise.

"What's going on?" Narcissa asked, standing up. She knew that Draco had to finally be getting better now thanks to what her husband had given him, but she wouldn't be able to fully believe it until she heard someone speak those words.

"There has been a huge improvement in your son's vital signs," the Healer spoke, her voice reflecting her disbelief. "Has another Healer been in here recently? Has your son been given something recently?"

Narcissa knew that she couldn't tell the witch about what Lucius had just done. Even though she had no problem with the use of Dark Magic when it was absolutely necessary (as she didn't see it as being something evil), she also knew that to the Wizarding Society as a whole, it would not matter that Lucius had acted to save his son's life. All that would matter to them was that he had used a form of Dark Magic against another person. Using a potion created by Dark Magic was seen by most as being the same as using an Unforgivable Curse against another person.

"No, no one has been here for several hours," Narcissa spoke. "But when the lead Healer, Healer Channing, was last here, he did give Draco a potion. I'm not sure what potion he gave my son, though."

"Well, that potion must have finally done the trick," the witch said. "I'm going to go ask him about it. I'll be back soon." With that, she left the room, closing the door behind her.

Narcissa turned to look fully at her husband.

"Lucius, what's going on?" she asked. "Dark Magic had never frightened me like it frightens most other people, but I also know that Dark Magic is only used to cure someone when it is the absolute last resort."

Lucius did not respond, nor did he look at her.

"Lucius, look at me," Narcissa ordered, "and tell me what's going on. I need to know, especially since it concerns Draco."

"I'm so sorry, Narcissa," Lucius said, finally turning to look at her. "It's all my fault. I should have seen it earlier."

Before Lucius could say anything further, the door to the room opened. The witch from moments earlier walked in, followed by Healer Channing.

The Healer waved his wand over Draco. His face clearly reflected the same confusion that was on the witch's face.

"I have been trying different potions on him," Channing spoke, looking at both Lucius and Narcissa, "but considering that we still don't know what's wrong with your son, I definitely had not been expecting this wonderful of a result. I'm pleased, of course, but I'm afraid I can't explain it to you."

"Don't concern yourself with the details, Healer Channing," Lucius responded. "You made our son better, and that's all that matters to us."

Narcissa nodded her head in agreement.

"Your son is still going to need some more treatment," Channing said. "His vital signs are definitely better, but they are still not fully normal."

"Of course," Lucius replied. "But just out of curiosity, what potion did you give him?"

Channing named the potion. Lucius nodded his head approvingly.

"Let me go get some more of that potion," Channing said. He then walked out of the room, closely followed by the witch, who closed the door behind her.

"That potion isn't going to interfere with what you gave Draco, is it?" Narcissa asked.

"No," Lucius answered. "That potion isn't going to help Draco any, but it isn't going to hurt him either."

"So, Draco is going to be all right?" Narcissa pressed. She needed to hear her husband speak those words.

"He needs more doses as soon as possible," Lucius replied, "but for now, he is out of harm's way."

For several moments, Lucius and Narcissa just looked at each other.

"Healer Channing is going to be back soon with more of that potion of his," Lucius finally spoke, "and I need to go brew some more doses of what I made. But after all that, I promise, Narcissa, I will explain everything. Please understand. I have to make sure that Draco doesn't pay the price for my failure."

Narcissa looked at her husband for a moment before nodding her head.

"I will return as soon as possible," Lucius promised. With that, he swept quickly out of the room, not even stopping to close the door behind him.


	8. The Horrifying Truth

Narcissa held Draco's mouth open as Lucius gave him the cure.

"Is that it?" Narcissa asked. "Is Draco going to be all right now?"

"He just needs one more dose," Lucius answered in a soft voice, "but I'm going to need to put more blood in that dosage than I've put in all the others."

Narcissa was not surprised to hear this. Even though her greatest skills did not lie in potions like her husband's did, she did know enough about both potions and Dark Magic to know that blood was often required at some point.

"How much blood?" Narcissa pressed, her voice reflecting her concern. "If necessary, I can give the blood for this final dose. There's no reason for all the blood to come from you. You've already given enough. You're getting too pale as it is. I don't want you to get sick."

"My father is going to be the one to give the blood," Lucius said in dark voice.

"Your father thinks that Draco is weak," Narcissa returned. "He's fully prepared to let our son die. There's no way he is going to help Draco."

"It is not required for the blood to be given willingly," Lucius responded.

Narcissa looked at her husband for a long moment.

"There's more to this than you're letting on, Lucius," she finally spoke.

Lucius looked Narcissa straight in her eyes. "I wish I didn't have to tell you this," he said, "but you deserve to know the truth, especially after all you have suffered because of it."

Lucius looked over at the closed door. "There's no telling when the Healers are going to come in here, and they will get suspicious if we lock the door. We need to go somewhere private. The Healers will be able to understand us having to step outside the room for a moment."

Narcissa just nodded her head as she took Lucius's offered hand.

* * *

><p>Lucius led Narcissa out of Draco's hospital room, closing the door behind them. He then led her through several hallways until they finally came across an empty room. It was clear that Lucius had looked for a good spot to talk before he had come to Draco's room.<p>

Lucius closed the door behind them and used his wand to lock it. He then turned to face Narcissa.

"We should sit down," he said.

Lucius waved his wand and two chairs appeared next to each other.

Lucius and Narcissa both sat down. For a moment, there was silence. Then, Lucius turned his head to look at his wife. He took several deep breaths.

"My father poisoned you," Lucius finally said bluntly.

"What?" Narcissa looked at her husband in disbelief. "But I feel fine."

"The poison was not meant to hurt you," Lucius explained. "It was not even meant to hurt Draco. Draco just suffered the side effects of it."

Lucius paused for a moment. It was hard for him to get the next words out. "It, it all started with Ara."

Comprehension slowly began to appear on Narcissa's face.

"Your father gave me something to kill her," Narcissa breathed. "Your father murdered her. Your father murdered all our babies."

Narcissa stood up abruptly, trembling in both anger and grief.

Lucius stood up as well and placed himself behind Narcissa in case she fell, so that he could catch her.

Narcissa took several deep breaths before turning around to face her husband.

"There's probably still remnants of the poison in my blood," she said. "That's how Draco got sick. He got some of the poison in his blood while he was in my womb."

Lucius nodded his head.

"I made Draco sick," Narcissa breathed in horror.

"My father made Draco sick," Lucius corrected. "None of this is your fault, Narcissa. I won't have you blaming yourself for what my father did."

Narcissa wiped at her eyes.

"I wonder if that's why I fainted while I was pregnant with Draco," she spoke as she tried to keep herself from crying. A look of horror passed over her face. "I could have lost Draco as well. Just like I lost Ara. Just like I lost the others."

Narcissa swayed on her feet. Lucius wrapped his arms around her, holding her steady.

"I'm so sorry, Narcissa," Lucius said. "I should have seen it earlier."

"I should have seen it as well," Narcissa returned. "Your father has never made it a secret that he hates me and that he didn't want our first child being a girl. But I had always assumed that preserving the Pureblood population would be more important to him than those things. I never would have thought that he would be so willing to kill _Purebloods_, to kill his own _grandchildren_."

"I believed those things as well," Lucius responded.

"Draco," Narcissa said. "Draco actually loves that bastard. How are we going to explain all this to him?"

"We'll explain everything to Draco when he's ready," Lucius replied.

Narcissa took a few moment to compose herself. Then, she asked, "Can we prove any of this to the Ministry?"

"My father still holds a lot of influence in the Ministry," Lucius said. "They will be of no help to us."

"No, Lucius," Narcissa cried. "I know what you want to do, and I don't blame you. I want to kill that old bastard as well. But I won't have you going to Azkaban because of him. If there's anyone who deserves to rot in Azkaban, it's him."

"We both know that's never going to happen," Lucius spoke. "My father will be able to find a way out of it."

Lucius looked at Narcissa with a cold, hard expression on his face.

"They won't know its murder," he then said in a dark voice.

Narcissa looked Lucius straight in his eyes.

"I want him to suffer," she breathed.

Lucius nodded his head.

"He will."


	9. The Twisted Irony

"I've received a letter from St. Mungo's saying that Draco is getting better," Abraxas remarked as he walked towards Lucius, who was sitting at the head of the large table in the dining room.

Lucius looked up from his plate of food and nodded his head.

Abraxas looked around. "It's just the two of us tonight, I see. It's been a while since it's only been us."

"Yes, it has," Lucius agreed. He then motioned for his father to take a seat at his right.

"Dobby," Lucius called out.

There was a crack, and Dobby appeared.

"Yes, Master."

"Bring my father something to eat and drink. The elf-made wine will do."

"Yes, Master." There was a crack, and Dobby disappeared.

"The last time it was just the two of us," Abraxas spoke, "_I_ was the one sitting at the head of the table."

Lucius just shrugged his shoulders.

"But while it's just the two of us," Abraxas drawled, "we need to talk about some things."

"Such as?" Lucius drawled back.

There was a crack, and Dobby appeared.

The house-elf placed a plate full of meat and vegetables in front of Abraxas, along with a glass of wine.

"Will there be anything else, Master?" Dobby asked.

"No, you may go now," Lucius answered.

There was a crack, and Dobby disappeared.

"What was it that you wanted to talk about?" Lucius asked as he watched his father take a sip of wine.

"Draco."

"What about him?"

"What has happened to him recently is a sign that there need to be changes in how you raise him," Abraxas said. "Lucius, you can't afford to have your heir be so weak, especially considering that your wife had so many problems with giving you one."

Lucius's hand tightened slightly around his own wine glass, but he otherwise betrayed no emotion.

"I've always wondered why Narcissa had so many miscarriages before Draco," Lucius said casually as he took a sip of wine.

"Her family has a lot of defects in it," Abraxas replied as he took another sip of his wine. "If I had known about them earlier, I most definitely would have arranged for you to marry another Pureblood woman, a _better_ Pureblood woman."

"We've been through this before, Father," Lucius returned, "and I don't feel like going through it again. I don't want another wife. I want Narcissa, and I will always want her. I don't care what you think of her or her family."

"You never have cared much for what I thought," Abraxas responded.

"We both know that's not the truth," Lucius snarled. "I have accepted many things from you, too many things, in fact."

"It was all for your own good," Abraxas said smoothly. "Just because you are satisfied with a weak son does not mean that I am."

"Draco isn't weak," Lucius hissed. "He survived something truly horrible, something that would have killed someone lesser than him."

"Only because one of those Healers was competent enough to do something right for a change," Abraxas returned as he took a bite of food along with another sip of wine.

"It wasn't the Healers that cured Draco," Lucius said.

"What do you mean by that?" Abraxas asked. "According to the letter I was sent, the Healer gave Draco a potion, and he started to get better."

"It's true that the Healer gave Draco a potion," Lucius replied, "but the potion did nothing. The Healer was just led to believe that it had actually done something."

Abraxas suddenly began to cough rather violently.

"Are you all right, Father?" Lucius asked. "That cough didn't sound good."

Abraxas tried to respond, but before he could get any words out, he coughed again.

"Maybe you've caught whatever Draco had," Lucius remarked casually.

"I'm fine," Abraxas snapped. "I'm not weak like your son."

Abraxas then grasped his throat and made sounds as if he was choking.

Lucius just watched with an emotionless expression on his face.

Rubbing desperately at his throat, Abraxas attempted to stand up. However, he was very unsteady on his feet, and he only avoided falling down onto the floor by grabbing onto the table.

"Are you sure you don't need to go to St. Mungo's?" Lucius asked.

"I don't need St. Mungo's," Abraxas hissed, even though it came out more like a strangled gasp.

"Then let me at least take you to bed," Lucius said. "It's clear that at the very least you need to rest."

Before Abraxas could protest, Lucius had wrapped his arms around his waist. Then, supporting his father, Lucius Disapparated from the dining room and Apparated right in front of Abraxas's bedroom door.

Lucius opened the door and helped his father inside the room. Lucius then helped the older man into his bed.

"Let me cover you up and make you warm," Lucius said.

"I'm not a child," Abraxas gasped. "I'm not Draco."

"Don't speak," Lucius responded. "You need to conserve your energy."

Lucius then pulled out his wand. He rolled up the sleeve of his father's robe and dragged his wand down Abraxas's arm as if he was holding a knife.

Abraxas cried out in pain as a cut was made into his arm. Blood began to flow out of his wound.

Lucius used his wand to create a bottle. He then held up his father's arm with one hand and held the bottle under his father's arm with his other hand.

Abraxas tried to do something to stop his son, but his limbs suddenly felt heavy.

"Lucius," Abraxas gasped, "what are you doing?"

"I need blood from a family member for the final dosage of Draco's cure," Lucius explained in a matter-of-fact voice.

"Cure? What cure?"

"The cure that I made," Lucius said. "The cure that I found out how to make after doing some research, after I found out why Draco got sick in the first place."

Lucius looked at Abraxas with a cold expression. "You poisoned Narcissa too many times, Father. There were still remnants of that poison in her blood when she got pregnant with Draco."

Abraxas looked at his son in horror, comprehension slowly appearing on his face.

"Ara is dead because of you," Lucius spoke in a deceptively calm voice. "The other babies that followed her are dead because of you. Narcissa and I will never know if they would have been boys or girls because of you. Draco got sick and could have died as well because of you. _Narcissa_ could have died because of you."

Lucius then looked down at the bottle he was holding under his father's bleeding arm. "That should be enough blood."

Lucius then placed the bottle of blood on the drawer beside his father's bed before using his wand to heal the cut that he had made.

Abraxas could just watch as Lucius pulled a bottle of Blood-Replenishing Potion out of his robe and forced his mouth open.

"I can't have you bleeding out," Lucius said. "That would look too suspicious."

"You've poisoned me," Abraxas gasped.

"I thought it would be fitting," Lucius remarked as he gave his father the Blood-Replenishing Potion, "especially since you poisoned my wife so many times. Not to mention, we both are poison masters."

"This won't work," Abraxas breathed roughly. "The Ministry will find you out."

"Come now, Father," Lucius replied. "We both know that won't happen. You've taught me too well for that to happen."

Lucius then laughed unpleasantly at the look on Abraxas's face. "What's the matter, Father? Aren't you proud of me? Aren't you proud of the monster that you made? Haven't I done well for once in my life?"

"I did it all for your own good, Lucius," Abraxas tried to explain. "Those babies were defected."

"All of them?" Lucius said in an angry, doubtful voice. "Now, I could understand something being wrong with _one_ baby, but there's no way that something was wrong with all of them. No, you murdered Ara because you found out somehow that she was going to be a girl, and you didn't want my first child and heir being a girl. The only thing wrong with Ara was her gender. And even if there was something else wrong with Ara, she was still a _Pureblood_. She was one of us. And you know how limited our numbers are, Father. Everything I do is to preserve our kind, yet _you_ have no problem with going around and trying to destroy us."

"She could have been a Squib," Abraxas insisted in a weak, raspy voice. "That would have shamed you. That would have shamed the Malfoy name."

"If Ara had been a Squib," Lucius responded, "Narcissa and I would have dealt with it in our own way. But we would not have killed her. She was a Pureblood. But more importantly, she was our daughter. Our daughter."

"Brenan," Abraxas gasped weakly in a voice so soft that it was barely audible.

But it was enough for the house-elf to hear.

There was a crack, and Brenan appeared in the room.

"What have you done to Master Abraxas?" Brenan shrieked in both horror and anger. "You've gone too far this time. Brenan can't let you do this."

Quicker than the eye could blink, Lucius had his wand at the house-elf's throat.

Lucius didn't hesitate. He pulled his wand across Brenan's throat.

The house-elf clutched at his throat as he crumbled to the floor.

"The Ministry won't care that much about an old house-elf that's gone missing," Lucius spoke casually.

Lucius pointed his wand at the fireplace. Fire immediately shot up.

Lucius then used his wand to levitate Brenan's body into the fire. The house-elf's cries of pain did not last for long as the hot flames quickly burned him up.

"I wish I could do the same to you, Father," Lucius remarked in a dark voice, "but your death must be more sophisticated. I won't have the Ministry bothering me because of you."

"Lucius, please," Abraxas begged desperately.

"How many times did I beg you to stop beating me when I was a small child?" Lucius snarled. "How many times did I beg you to stop torturing me with the Cruciatus Curse? How many times did I beg you to let me out of the dungeons when you locked me down there with no food or water? And did you ever stop what you were doing to me? No, you didn't! Instead, you mocked me for being weak! So, don't you dare beg me for anything! I have no mercy! You've taught me how not to have any! You always said that mercy was a weakness, and you didn't want me being weak! Well, I am not weak! Aren't you happy about that? Aren't you _proud_ about that?"

Abraxas tried to say something further, but he couldn't get any word out. It was a struggle just for him to breathe.

"You should rest, Father," Lucius said, his voice now dangerously calm. "I don't intend for you to die tonight. No, I want you to hold on for as long as possible."

Lucius then picked up the bottle filled with his father's blood. "I must go now," he said. "Draco needs his final dosage. Don't try to cry for help. I have told all the house-elves to not respond to you, and none of them would dare disobey me. I made sure of that. Sleep well now."

With that, Lucius walked out of the room, closing the door as quietly as possible behind him.

He didn't glance back at his father, not even once, even though he could clearly hear his father's weak, desperate breaths.

* * *

><p><strong><span>Author's Note<span>: Just one more chapter to go, and this story will be over.**


	10. Reflections and the Future

Lucius watched through the open window of his study as Narcissa and Draco walked through the garden. A slight breeze ruffled Lucius's long hair.

It was clear that Draco was not yet back at his full strength, as he was walking right by his mother's side instead of running around like he usually would.

But it was also clear that Draco was making a nice recovery, and Lucius had no doubt it wouldn't be long before his young son was once again running around with the energy that only a small boy was capable of.

Draco had already asked his father several times when he could get back on his broomstick.

Yes, Draco was going to be just fine.

* * *

><p>Lucius sat down on the nearest sofa to the window. He felt so tired. Finding and brewing the cure for Draco had taken nearly all of his energy.<p>

Narcissa knew that Lucius had used a potion of Dark Magic to cure Draco, but she didn't know just how much the whole process had taken out of her husband.

The use of Dark Magic allowed a wizard or a witch to do things that others could not even dream of, but there was always a price to pay as well. Some Dark Magic took more out of a wizard or a witch than other Dark Magic did.

* * *

><p>Lucius suddenly found himself thinking about his father. That had also taken a lot out of him.<p>

It was not easy to brew a poison that made it appear as if its victim had died of an illness.

As far as the Wizarding World was concerned, Abraxas Malfoy had died of Dragon Pox. There had not been many questions asked. Abraxas had been an old man, and therefore he had been vulnerable to such an illness. He had also been known as a proud man, and it had been assumed by the Wizarding World that he had been too proud to seek treatment for his disfiguring condition.

Besides, Abraxas's son and daughter-in-law had been busy worrying over the fate of their son during the time that the elder Malfoy had gotten sick. It was understandable that they had not noticed that something was wrong with Abraxas until it had been too late, especially when that was combined with the fact that the old man had been proud.

The Wizarding World thought that Abraxas was now buried in the Malfoy cemetery, but that wasn't the truth. All that was in the Malfoy cemetery was an empty casket.

There was no way that Lucius would have ever allowed his father to be buried near the little girl that he had murdered before she had even had the chance to take a single breath. So, after Abraxas had finally died, Lucius had burned his body with Fiendfyre until there had been nothing left of his father's body, not even ashes.

* * *

><p>Lucius remembered Draco asking him and Narcissa about where his grandfather was at. As far as Draco was concerned, his grandfather should be happy that he was better and back at home.<p>

Beforehand, both Lucius and Narcissa had decided that Draco was not yet ready to learn the truth. So, Narcissa had gently explained to her son that his grandfather had gotten sick with Dragon Pox and that he had passed away. Draco had been sad to hear this, but his mother had made him feel better by telling him that his grandfather had lived a long, nice life.

"So, one day I'm going to die as well?" Draco had asked in a slightly scared voice. He was still too young to fully comprehend death, and he really didn't remember much about being sick (as he had been unconscious for most of the time). At the same time, though, his grandfather was gone; and it was only natural that he would feel a little uncertain and scared.

"It will happen to us all one day," Narcissa had explained in that gentle voice of hers that Lucius had never been able to mimic. "But your father and I have no doubt that you it will be a very long time before it's time for you to go. You have a long life ahead of you, Draco. So, enjoy every moment of it."

* * *

><p>Several of Abraxas's old acquaintances had sent Lucius letters of condolences. Lucius had burned all those letters.<p>

Lucius wished that he could tell everyone what his father had done, but even Narcissa had agreed that would have led to too many questions concerning Abraxas's death. And Narcissa had not been willing to risk her husband being sent to Azkaban for murdering that old bastard.

Even though it would have been likely that many in the Wizarding World would have actually sympathized with Lucius if they had learned the full truth, it was also true that the Ministry did not believe in taking the law into your own hands.

Besides, there were several in the Ministry (especially in the Auror department) that were still upset that Lucius had managed to escape Azkaban after the Dark Lord's fall.

No, it was best that the Wizarding World didn't know the truth about Abraxas Malfoy.

* * *

><p>Lucius suddenly heard Draco's happy laughter coming through his study's open window.<p>

Lucius should have been happy. His son was alive and well. His son was going to be just fine.

But Lucius felt as if something had been torn from him. He felt different. He felt exhausted.

As a young child, Lucius had been afraid of his father. As he had gotten bigger, however, that fear had turned into anger.

Lucius should be glad that his father was dead, but at the same time, it felt strange to no longer have him around.

Abraxas, after all, had molded Lucius into the man he had become. Abraxas's torture and teachings had shaped Lucius's beliefs and actions.

Even as an adult, a part of Lucius had always wanted to somehow find a way to finally please his father and to finally have his father say that he was worthy of the name Malfoy.

Now that Abraxas was dead, a part of Lucius felt lost and empty.

It had been the same way after the Dark Lord had fallen. A part of Lucius had been relived because he would no longer have to worry about his son becoming a Death Eater when he got older, and Lucius would also be able to devote more time to his family. At the same time, though, the Dark Lord had given Lucius a purpose; and Lucius had lost the purpose with the Dark Lord's fall.

Abraxas had also given Lucius some form of meaning in his life, even if that meaning had just been about emotional turmoil after emotional turmoil. It was true that Lucius had felt nothing but hatred towards his father in the end, but it was also true that it was not easy to just let go of such intense emotions. All the feelings that Abraxas had ever caused Lucius to feel would never fully go away.

Even though Abraxas was dead, Lucius could still feel his presence.

* * *

><p>Lucius wasn't sure what he was supposed to do with his life now. He was glad to have Narcissa and Draco, of course, but he wanted to be more than just a husband and a father. He wanted to do something great and meaningful with his life.<p>

Lucius stood up. It suddenly felt as if the walls of his study were slowly closing in around him.

He needed some air. He needed to be able to breathe.

He needed to leave the manor for a while. He needed to go somewhere, anywhere.

But mostly, Lucius just needed to escape from the darkness and from all the emotions that were threatening to suffocate him.

* * *

><p><span><strong>Author's Note<strong>**: This is it, the final chapter of this story. I appreciate all the reviews that I have received. See my profile for all the stories that are a part of this series. I probably will be writing some side stories for this series in the future, so keep an eye out for them. Once again, thank you to everyone who has given me a review. I appreciate all of you who took the time to leave me a comment.**


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